Conservative rages against the gun nuts: Firearms should be an earned privilege, not an absolute right

Conservative commentator Ed Berliner tore into Second Amendment extremists and parents of mass shooters in a rant posted to Newsmax on Thursday.

Berliner went off on the parents of Oregon shooter Chris Harper Mercer, Newtown shooter Adam Lanza and of the 11-year-old boy who killed an 8-year-old girl in Tennessee this week after a dispute over puppies.

“Time also to put to bed this Second Amendment absolute right,” he said. “Make it a privilege, not an absolute right of DNA passage. Force gun owners to undergo intrusive background checks including mental health exams. Take required gun safety courses. Renew them every year.”

He added that adults should be held criminally responsible for failing to lock up weapons and keep them away from children.

“Be responsible, and pay the price when your actions are the reason an 8-year-old kid gets blow away,” he said. “And as a gun owner I tell you what. I’ll volunteer. I’ll be the first in line.”

What is more important, he inquired, words on a piece of paper that can be changed, referring to gun legislation, or the death certificate that gets handed to the victims of gun violence.